Sally's movie production

Here's my attempt at movie production...from Granddaughter Taylor's dress rehearsals for dance recital. Wish I could get a bigger size file on here - it plays much better that way. But hey, what can I expect from free wi-fi connections?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUcTmSCoZw0

Green Fields & Green Machines

Yesterday began with an 8AM tour of the John Deere tractor factory in Waterloo, IA. The factory is the second largest building under roof (50 acres) in the United States, surpassed only by a Boeing facility in Seattle. The tour was fascinating and I had to constantly grab Sally's sleeve to keep her from climbing on one of the big green machines and driving off. John Deere only builds tractors to fill specific orders; nothing is built for inventory. They have a "gold key" program whereby customers can visit the plant on the day their tractor is assembled and actually start it and drive it off of the assembly line. After the tour we visited friends Gib and Jan Glasson before heading north where we spent the night at Calmar, IA in the parking lot of Northern Iowa Community College. Just to add to the excitement, the security guard informed us that a tornado had been spotted some 40 miles west, but he thought that it was going to miss us! This morning we will visit the clock museum in Spillville, IA (pop. 386) before heading off to Lanesboro, Minnesota for a few days of biking on their spectacular network of bicycle trails.

On the Road Again

We're traveling again now ... stopping for a couple of days with friends Chuck and Jan Moore at a beautiful Army Corps of Engineers campground at Saylorville Lake, IA, near Des Moines. Headed toward MN now with stops planned in Waterloo and Spillville, IA.

Last stop was Omaha, NE for Granddaughter Taylor's dance recital. She was fabulous, as was the entire show. See her here - center front - in their ballet number. She also danced jazz and tap.

Random Images from the Midwest

How to watch a baseball game in Nebraska - from inside the Jeep if you want to stay dry. Yes, we are still having more wet and chilly weather than we are having warm or sunny. That's Grandson Nick on 2nd base.
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Weeds of the Midwest -


I still really like the looks of a dandelion has-been, especially from the macro setting of my camera.

And I still get a kick out of seeing the wild hemp here - child of the 60's that I am.

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Gregg & I both love wandering in the little Floyd Valley Cemetery, visiting his ancestors. Here is his Great-Great grandfather, German immigrant, with his age - 63 years, 11 months and 7 days - memorialized in German. Last night we searched in the back of the cemetery (at dusk to make it more exciting), looking for a tombstone of a long-ago neighbor who had murdered his wife and then taken his own life. We didn't find him...but I did find some wild Iris to bring home with me.
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Gregg's cousins' little Granddaughter, Maggie, in her pink cowgirl hat and pink boots, with her pink rope. What a doll.








And another little baby, one of the many, many calves here on the farm.

We got to help move some of the calves and cows yesterday. I love doing that.
See a little of it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swucDIxDY4k









This is Cowboy and he is NOT doing his job moving the cattle. He watched and whimpered. The day before he'd been limping so must have been kicked. But I'm sure he'll get over it soon.
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This is the little Methodist church at Melbourne, about 2 miles from the Schindel farm. Established in 1860, BEFORE the Civil War! Melbourne was a town until the railroad tracks bypassed it. Now what was Melbourne is farms and this church and the cemetery. We enjoy attending church services there when we are here.
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No, Candace and Kathy did not really get married. These were their costumes for the Methodist Womens' monthly breakfast that I went to with Judy. It's June so their theme was "weddings" and they served us a Bridal Brunch. I am so impressed with Judy's 49 years of marriage that I asked her if she had one of the longest in this group of women. She had to laugh at me and my naivete. The group of 18 women added up their years of marriage - 866! Average 48 years, one of the women with 75 years of marriage. Take out my meager 6 years and that group averages over 50 years of marriage. I think that says something about Midwest living...
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The future look of Iowa??

The new Ethanol plant in Merrill.


That's me and Gregg waving goodbye to Iowa for now. We leave tomorrow for a few more days with Grandkids in Nebraska. Then we will be headed toward MN and WI for a good part of the summer.

From Lewis & Clark in 1804 to a 2009 Pipedream

We look out the window of our RV from our beautiful campsite on the farm where Gregg grew up near Sioux City, IA, across the cornfields, at a long stretch of Silver Maples. Cottonwoods, and Willows. The trees line the Floyd River that runs through the property of Gregg's brother Gary and his family.

We canoed this years ago and should have done it more often, intriguing river that it is.

More than 200 years ago Merriwether Lewis and William Clark and their crew made their way up the Missouri River through what would become Sioux City, IA, and there experienced the only loss of life on their two year mission, Sergeant Floyd who died of what was probably appendicitis. He is buried there with a river, The Floyd, and a town, Sergeant Bluff, named after him.

The Floyd River meanders through this countryside. We've seen it from a small plane in the sky over us, winding its way south to the nearby Missouri River. It nurtures the flora and fauna. Some of the trees must be closing in on 80-100 years old now, shading a magical place.

It is here that a modern day enterprise, the Pipedream of a young man from Sioux City, will make its public debut this week. He has designed and carved a little bit of heaven for kids and families, a natural playground. Gary and his son Brad have granted him use of their property along the river and he has turned it into campgrounds, beaches, and waterslides. The highlight will be tubing the Floyd. Rent his tubes. float an hour of so and get a ride back upriver to do it all over again.

The Grand Opening is Monday this week and we plan to be there!

Learn more here http://pipedreamcamping.com/

You can see the Schindel family farm in the distance across the cornfield.

This is where one of the waterslides will be. Gregg is on this side talking on his cell phone to Gary on the tractor on the other side of the river. Gary's working, spraying fields. Gregg's retired...

Cottonwood branch fence is sending out sprouts and leaves.

Bridge over the Floyd is on the lane to the Schindel farm.

Beaches and bends in the Floyd.

Jordie Marie Schindel

What can I say? She is absolutely gorgeous and the most well-behaved baby ever.

Born April 7, Christened May 31

Her parents, Brandon and Katie, are wonderful with her and are living in a beautiful little corner of Nebraska with peace and quiet, green grass and cornfields surrounding them. What a joy to see them all together.

Tough work - Grandparenting!

But, someone's got to do it and we will be happy to volunteer!

We've been camping, hiking, horseback riding, paddleboating, swimming, water-sliding, playgrounding, playing games, doing Origami, playing tag and more. Gregg always says "Parenting is a young person's sport." We've enjoyed every minute of it. Fun kids. Hannah, 8, Taylor, 12, Jake, 10, Nick, 13, Josh, 15, Brandon 18.